Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 353 Lucas: Aggressive Behavior

LUCAS

Five wolf bodies lie on the ground, their blood settled into pools of blood beneath them, frozen now in the snow.

My beta approaches, his face grim. He kneels beside one of the corpses, examining it with a critical eye. "You said they weren't in their right minds?"

I've seen my share of battles, but this was different. The rogues attacked with a ferocity that bordered on madness. "It wasn't natural. Almost rabid. We didn't have a chance to communicate."

I stand over the largest of the bodies, frowning. It wasn't as though we hadn't tried to bring them in alive. They just had no interest in negotiating. There isn't much we can do at that point.

Kellan's voice breaks through my thoughts. "They're only five miles from the compound."

"They were heading south," I say, watching as Kellan's shoulders visibly relax. "Not toward the pack."

It's a small comfort, but I'll take what I can get. Still, the proximity is unsettling. These rogues could have easily changed course, stumbled upon our territory. They're too close. We need to tighten our security, make sure we don't let it happen again.

I crouch down beside one of the bodies, studying it closely. "Maybe we should examine them further. There might be clues—"

Kellan shakes his head, cutting me off. "We don't have the facilities for that, Lucas. Autopsying random wolves would be a waste of resources we can't afford right now. What building are we going to take over? We can't bring dead bodies into the hospital. We don't have the room there, either."

With winter in full swing and refugees to care for, we can't spare the time or manpower for an extensive investigation over a few violent wolves. Still, the nagging feeling that we're missing something crucial gnaws at me.

"What if they were just traumatized?" Kellan suggests after a moment. "Starving, maybe. Could have gone feral."

It's a reasonable theory. We've seen it before—wolves pushed to their limits, reverting to pure instinct. Especially as rogues without a pack. But as I look at the bodies sprawled before us, something doesn't add up.

"It's possible," I concede, "but I don't think that's it." I gesture to the nearest corpse. "Look at them. They're young, strong. Their bodies are well-fed. This wasn't desperation."

"Then why attack without provocation? It doesn't make sense."

"We'll never know now."

The finality of my words hangs in the air. Five lives snuffed out, and for what? Such a waste of life.

My gaze falls back to the bodies at our feet. Their eyes are still open, glazed over in death, but I can't shake the memory of the feral gleam they held during the attack. It was as if something had stripped away their humanity, leaving nothing but raw, uncontrolled aggression.

bodies?" Kellan asks,

a practical question, but one that carries weight. We can't leave them here, that's for certain. But disposing

the bodies several miles out, away from our territory. They'll have to use a truck.

"I'll get it organized."

rogues have been

bodies behind. But we have no technology to help us here. No

I call out. He turns back to me, eyebrow raised in question. "Once we've taken care of this, I want to double our patrols. We can't afford another surprise like

* * *

opening cuts through the

Ava.

Water drips down my chest as I grab a towel, hastily wrapping it around my waist. The

are flushed from the cold,

short," she says, a smile

around her. She's so small against me, fitting perfectly into the curve of my body. Honey and vanilla,

breathes, and I

laughs, the sound brightening my day. "Lucas! You're getting soap everywhere." She shoves at my chest, but there's no

as she shrugs off her

join me? I was just getting

head tilted to one side. But then she nods, a slow smile

in the air, fogging the mirror. I turn on the water, adjusting the temperature before stepping aside to let

avoiding my gaze. I drink in the

and join her, closing the glass door behind us. The shower suddenly feels much smaller with both of us in it. Water cascades down Ava's body,

fog of desire clouding

drag my eyeballs off her ass and to her face. "What do you

water droplets clinging to her eyelashes. "You're acting

unsure how to respond. The memory of those five dead wolves flashes through

I say, reaching for the shampoo bottle. "Just missed you, that's

not believing me. But she doesn't press the issue, turning

her scalp, and I feel some of the tension leave her body. She leans back against me, and I

know that?" Ava

my hands still tangled in her

in my arms, her eyes meeting mine. "You don't have to tell me